Information Diet – the Best Anti-Consumerism Experiment

31 July 2016

I decided to reduce internet and other information and opinion sources (even books!) for a month. To search more inside myself. My information diet is a great anti-consumerism experiment. Read more and get to know why.

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Information diet is the best anti-consumerism experiment we all need.

I’ve decided that I need to reduce the amount of ideas coming to me from outside. I will strictly cut my use of internet and other media (books, radio) for a month.

I need a clear mind. Now I know we have all the knowledge that we need to live in ourselves. We have all the wisdom. We have instincts and intuition. Of course we don’t have some detailed, mathematical information or physical facts written in our hearts. For example information about the effects of plastic on our body. We have to read about it. But not all the time! We don’t need so much information from outside of ourselves as we consume today.

This consumption of information costs us so much time! I don’t spend time on gossip or news websites. Only on valuable ones that really can help me, give me needed information or enrich my worldview. But I spend too much time on it.

I want to have a clear mind to make observations, ask questions, look for the answers, solutions, methods, tools and Truth by myself.

As a person feeling so, soo good as a minimalist, living a simple life, I want to keep myself far from advertising. Even if I don’t feel wish to buy the advertised product, it distracts me and stays somewhere in unconscious part of my mind.

To do:

install adblock.

I want to live more consciously, more eco-friendly, not feeding the culture of consumerism.

To avoid:

supermarkets and other big, brand stores.

I want to really listen to my heart in the subject of what and how I want to do in my life. It’s to easy to copy someone else’s dreams and hard to notice it. I want to make sure my current dream life is really mine.

I want to eat more consciously. For years I keep eating as a result of my emotions – like most of the people today. I eat when I’m stresses or feel guilty or want to procrastinate. And so often these feelings come when I’m using too much internet.

I want to write, create, give, express myself. Not only to consume other’s thoughts.

I want to have healthier eyes. I know from my experience that less screens is better seeing.

I want to think about some subjects on my own and find my answers.

For example I want to live for a while with a thought that if you stop using money, the money stop using you. If you learn to live happily with less, to want less, you need less money, you have to work less.

What do you need to buy more than clothes, shelter and food?

You answer this question and embrace anti-consumerism.

So many things were free, even food in warm climates. So many things are still free: conversations with people you like, walking with your child, visiting some places.

So many free things became paid. And I want to think about it. And about any solution.

I feel so frustrated having to pay when I need to pee in a public place. Today you have to buy entrance tickets to go for a walk in mountains or many other beautiful places. Today’s culture has told you, you should interact with you friends spending money in cafes, pubs or clubs. Today you have to pay to dance with other people.

In the past people used to wash themselves and do laundry in rivers. They even didn’t need to pay for the water!

I hate having to buy tickets to do walk in natural places like the mountains. Is there anything we can do for free? Is there anywhere where we can enter for free? If yes, it will probably change.

By reducing the stream of information coming to me I want to put myself to live in the world created by God and nature. Outside of the world produced by the rich and powerful for the others: by governments, producers, big brands.

I don’t like the world in which children learn from their picture books about vehicles, streets, trash cans and vacuum cleaners. I hate the world in which my two-year old Son can name such vehicles as lawnmower, digger, crane, tipper, fire engine, ambulance, but would not recognize and name a squirrel.

I want to think about my work – to keep it in harmony with my heart and values. I need to do everything to avoid the scheme of sending my children to kindergartens and schools and starting to go to work for others to earn money for which I could buy suitably looking clothes and proper make up for the work. Oh, and the gas for my car to commute to work, fees for parking places and car maintenance.

To avoid the scheme I want to look deeper into the idea that the less you use the money, the less the money uses you. If you are happy with a simple life, you need much less money.

Anti-consumerism means less work and more life.

Because we really don’t need coke nor coffee nor scent pads to our shoes. We buy coke and coffee to heal the stress or to give ourselves reward for our sacrifice. And you wouldn’t have to buy scent pads to your shoes if your feet would be free – in footwear that is comfortable at the moment and not in the socially proper one.

You think it’s crazy?

Look into your trash bin and face the fact that you kept working for hours to buy all of this… That is crazy! You’ve paid for the items, you’ve paid for the disposable, one use only things, you’ve paid for all the packaging. Moreover, you’ve worked to buy the plastic bags for your trash. And you’re paying the men who will come and take your garbage from you. That is crazy.

I was very surprised and even shocked when I found in the blog survey answers that about the half of you ask me for… advertisement. You asked for articles about things I buy, for products reviews. I couldn’t have guessed such request on a blog about minimalism and conscious life that leads to strong anti-consumerism. Hey, people, I don’t buy! What kind of problem do you have? You want to know what to buy to be considered a minimalist girl?

I believe we have everything we need inside ourselves. We just need much time, silence and will to hear our inner voice. And much self-confidence to listen to it and follow it.

Coming back to the screens that are my distraction,

The rules for the month are:

I do not surf on the internet, read books, newspapers, magazines, listen to radio, watch tv, use social media.

While shopping (even grocery) I buy only what I have on the list. Other products on the shelves are just like any other advertisement.

I check email only twice a week and then do everything I need and delete them.

I don’t check my websites analytics.

I read articles on the internet only on Tuesdays and only from my list of favorite websites (mostly blogs).

On the computer I can only do my work and write or check necessary information like the phone number to make a usg appointment.

I can read only one book: How to be free by Tom Hodgkinson.

I can use my paper notebook to write my thoughts.

How I’ve prepared:

I deleted almost all my favorites from my browser (now I keep there almost only websites I use often for my work – to avoid typing the whole addresses).

I deleted email app from my phone.

I kept sound notifications on the phone only for coming calls.

I kept also notifications (without sound nor vibrations) for messages and they are the only notifications I get.

I’ve deleted from my phone apps that I don’t use or don’t want to use.

I’ve deleted many files from my computer or send those that I don’t need now to google drive to avoid distractions.

Anti-consumerism – books:

To be more conscious in the subject of anti-consumerism I recommend you to read:

Naomi Klein, No logo* – a cultural manifesto for the critics of unfettered capitalism worldwide. A story of rebellion and self-determination in the face of our new branded world.

Naomi Klein, This changes everything. Capitalism vs. the climate*– a brilliant explanation of why the climate crisis challenges us to abandon the core “free market” ideology of our time, restructure the global economy, and remake our political systems. Either we embrace radical change ourselves or radical changes will be visited upon our physical world.